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Looking to start a forum

by tbk125
16 replies
Hey everyone I am looking to start a forum which I will eventually monetize, what platform should I use? Phpbb, Vbulletine? I will be running advertising and other things later on..
#forum #start
  • Profile picture of the author ptcrefko
    Go first for free one's like phpbb, SMF, mybb, fluxxbb, usebb before using paid one. Mybb, SMF and phpbb are quite popular and has a lot of plugins and mods. If your site becomes big, you can then migrate it to a paid forum software.
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  • Profile picture of the author sweetcrabhoney18
    I agree with Ptcrefko . Free is a better idea for the beginning stages. Remember that a forum needs a lot of content. Many new forums make the mistake of not getting forum posters right away to build and keep their forum active. Best of luck with your forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    I would go with Phpbb.

    They have been around for years and are very good.
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  • Profile picture of the author Romina82
    From the little I have learnt so far:

    - you can install phpBB on your own hosting server, much like you would install self-hosted wordpress if you are using 3rd party hosting

    If you are familiar with wordpress, then this link should guide you easily:

    WordPress.com Forum Options | one cool site
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Just a word of caution . . .

      If you decide to go the "free" route first . . . make sure you can migrate all your members, profiles, threads, posts, etc to the new platform BEFORE you choose your free option.

      Otherwise, you could lose a lot of your data, members, and content.

      I personally think if you can afford it, you ought to start out with something that's scalable and than can handle a large forum. vBulletin would be my choice. If you're committed to making this work, you should realize that there is a cost to starting a professional business.

      Just my opinion.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author ConnectVT
    I would suggest PHPBB initially. Before investing for paid like Vbulletin is not a good idea in the beginning. Test your forum initially and monitor it for a while. Once you will be confident enough that your forum is now on a good track, spend the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author ptcrefko
    All the free forum softwares I've mentionened is migratable.
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  • Profile picture of the author ExceedStandard
    I tried vbulletin in the past and it was nice' but I suggest going with phpBB for starting out.
    take a look at mine. It is brand spanking new....
    Support Metapps Index page
    I am on Windows Phone and not able to insert link.
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    • Profile picture of the author ExceedStandard
      Originally Posted by ExceedStandard View Post

      I tried vbulletin in the past and it was nice' but I suggest going with phpBB for starting out.
      take a look at mine. It is brand spanking new....
      Support Metapps Index page
      I am on Windows Phone and not able to insert link.
      Nevermind, I guess it allowed me to insert the link.
      Signature

      For A Limited Time Only - Download Hundreds Of Brand New PLR and Resell Rights Products 100% FREE..
      Hurry Up And Get to PLR Products before it's too late!

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  • Profile picture of the author WhipStrip
    PHPBB is probably the way to go....
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  • Profile picture of the author hbhanot
    Phpbb is great I think but if you have few dollars to invest then go with a good paid versions rather than transferring things later. If you are just trying to taste the Forum thing then go with free but if you are serious and dedicated to make money from it then consider investing some as it will also motivate you in sorry feeling time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      I prefer vBulletin. But as far as what you should do...only you can determine that. The main thing is to conduct your due diligence, find something that meets your needs, and get started. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author GamerZag
    IPBulletin is by far the best these days. Dimmdrive Forums for example

    It is a paid forum software, offers excellent support, can scale immensely high, and has a great API for doing development integration into it.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Vbulletin is the most stable and most battle-tested for commercial implementations. With that said, the #1 thing you have to worry about when thinking of starting a forum is GETTING MEMBERS. Platform is very low on the agenda.
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